Pre-game stretch/ warmups 14U and above.

[Rolling Hard]

My team (12U) plays much better when loose and relaxed (please do not read this as sloppy and not caring). My warm ups are regimented (as in we do the same thing) but relaxed (meaning they talk and do not feel like a coach is watching to make sure they don't smile). They do a dynamic warm up/stretching and throwing on their own.

I truly believe there is a balance to getting a team ready to play. Focused warm ups with intent is always mandatory. But so is staying relaxed and in an even mind. There should be no pressure to have zero fun during warm ups and I hate when I see coaches bark at their kids because of it.

Know your team and what they need. Having a good frame of mind is just as important as warming up the softball skills. I hate pre game talks between parents and players. Parents have this knack to put their kid in a bad mental state.

If you have certain players that are notorious goof balls that are disrupting the players who take it serious and are trying to focus, I guess you could address them individually. I guess its a balancing act. Stay loose but focused.
I see a lot of the goofing off is during the stretching period. I think stretching should be taken more seriously. Athletes need to stretch. Some players are not very flexible at all and could/would benefit from stretching properly. Think GB under the glove and just out of the reach of your big 1st baseman or pitchers that have a hard time bending over to field bunts.
For those of you that know, how do the big time colleges run there pre game?

 

[radness]

My team (12U) plays much better when loose and relaxed (please do not read this as sloppy and not caring). My warm ups are regimented (as in we do the same thing) but relaxed (meaning they talk and do not feel like a coach is watching to make sure they don't smile). They do a dynamic warm up/stretching and throwing on their own.

I truly believe there is a balance to getting a team ready to play. Focused warm ups with intent is always mandatory. But so is staying relaxed and in an even mind. There should be no pressure to have zero fun during warm ups and I hate when I see coaches bark at their kids because of it.

Know your team and what they need. Having a good frame of mind is just as important as warming up the softball skills. I hate pre game talks between parents and players. Parents have this knack to put their kid in a bad mental state.

that is well facilitated with a comfortable dynamic. Perhaps this @Rolling Hard is stay loose and focused.

Not sloppy disorganized where players meander wherever. This sometimes occurs because the coach hasnt facilitated structure or guiding a routine. @Rolling Hard could put goofing off in this category.
= sloppy facilitation.

 

[Rick M]

By the time they’re in 16U, I’m a firm believer that youth coaches should be facilitators not drill sargents. Serious TB players have warmed up and played in hundreds of games by that level, they know what they need to do to get ready.

Personally, I like a loose atmosphere. I see nothing wrong with laughing and joking and chatter during warmups. The point of that time before a game is not to focus on skills, that’s what practice is for. The point is to warm up the muscle groups that you use to play. If you’re moving your muscles, you can still be moving your mouth.

A pet peeve aside: Pregame stretching is bad. Work on flexibility outside, like strength training-

Stretch Before Exercise? Not So Fast. | BU Today | Boston University

Boston University is a leading private research institution with two primary campuses in the heart of Boston and programs around the world.

www.bu.edu

We’ve all seen and heard college women singing and carrying on during a game. It’s much more important to be loose and relaxed to play at a high level. MLB players understand this:

Red Sox laundry cart ride, explained: How Kevin Plawecki, Jason Varitek created Boston's unique home run celebration | Sporting News

www.sportingnews.com

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[Rolling Hard]

I like you mention MLB. No real organization to their pre game. They generally don't warm up as a team at all. Different guys doing different stuff. Lot of chit chat. Some guys no chit chat. Everybody kind of does their own thing.

 

[canyonjoe]

I think the last 5 minutes is what really matters. To warm up for and hour and 15 for a 1 hour and 15 minute game just never makes sense to me. An organized 30-45 minutes is plenty of time to get ready. Especially in TB where you often lay back to back or even 3 or more in a row it's getting them ready right before the game that matters.

 

[Strike2]

#2. Often it is very telling as to level of your opponent , by watching them warm up. Are they chasing passed balls all over? Are they more interested in latest Tik Tok versus working on refining receiving technique?

Although I think this is generally true, my agreement is tempered by the experience of seeing DD's team sometimes look like a bunch of clowns during warmups, usually before an early morning game. They get yelled at before the game starts, and even draw some giggles from the other team. I also fondly remember seeing that other team's amusement vanish once the game starts. Teenage girls are strange creatures.

 

[radness]

I like you mention MLB. No real organization to their pre game. They generally don't warm up as a team at all. Different guys doing different stuff. Lot of chit chat. Some guys no chit chat. Everybody kind of does their own thing.

Well heck why warm up as a team...in an hour they will be part of a trade...

 

[Strike2]

I think the last 5 minutes is what really matters. To warm up for and hour and 15 for a 1 hour and 15 minute game just never makes sense to me. An organized 30-45 minutes is plenty of time to get ready. Especially in TB where you often lay back to back or even 3 or more in a row it's getting them ready right before the game that matters.

The full warmup only needs to happen before the first game, or if there's a long break. If there's a game immediately following, the only people that need to do anything are pitchers who haven't yet thrown. I once watched a Texas Glory team "warm up" for over an hour in 90+ degree afteroon heat. It was not their first game or ours...we watched from the shade. You can guess the outcome. Once you've done the full warmup with hitting, and then 2-3 games with a half-dozen ABs, you're just wearing your team out. A little bit of throwing and maybe a little IF/OF is all you should need even after a game break.

 

[Rolling Hard]

""warm up" for over an hour in 90+ degree afternoon heat."

But the coach was building character! lol

 

[PapaBear]

Sadly this is age when many start to experience breakdown. Take as much time as needed, especially for pitchers. A good full body session, arm bands for strength of shoulders and scapula. Then proper warmup of toss before warming up to pitch.

Position players- enough time to get full body loose and as they get older after games/practice a full body stretch/foam roll